Discussion Topics for Today's Classroom

Monthly Archives: December 2011

Description:Â Economist Jeffrey Sachs says the policies of the Reagan administration led to the destruction of the American middle class. Source: CNNMoney.com â€“ video report Date: 12/23/2011 Link:Â http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/12/22/n_opinion_jeff_sachs.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the arguments presented by Jeffrey Sachs favoring greater government involvement in the economy. What are the items you agree with and those… Read more »

Description:Â People love to speculate on the future of Apple Inc. I am no exception. Source: Marketwatch.com Date: 12/23/2011 Link:Â http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apple-at-the-retail-crossroads-2011-12-23 Questions for discussion: Do you agree with this assessment? What would you advise investors do today?

Description:Â Oracle Corp. (ORCL) dropped the most in more than nine years, dragging down other software makers, after it reported quarterly sales and profit that missed analystsâ€™estimates in a sign companies are spending less on programs that help them manage operations. Source:Â Bloomberg.com Date: 12/21/2011 Link:Â http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-20/oracle-misses-estimates-as-clients-throttle-tech-spending-shares-decline.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the highlights in this… Read more »

Description:Â Wealthy financiers are trying to turn the Occupy movement into a rich vs. poor debate. What they still don’t understand is that Americans don’t hate the rich. They hate the rich in finance. Source: Fortune.com Date: 12/23/2011 Link:Â http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/12/22/jamie-dimon-rich/?iid=SF_F_River Questions for discussion: Summarize the opinions and ethical issues expressed in this report? What is… Read more »

Description:Â For Wall Street, it’s been a series of unfortunate events Source: Businessweek.com Date: 12/22/2011 Link:Â http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/finance-on-the-ropes-12222011.html Questions for discussion: Summarize the key points presented in the report. What is your opinion of this thinking?

Description:Â Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman explains what the company needs to hire in the near and long-term. Source: CNNMoney.com â€“ video report Date: 12/13/2011 Link:Â http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/12/13/n_cat_ceo_adding_jobs.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: What are the challenges facing the firm? How do these issues relate to your understanding of the state of the economy? What should companies, governments and… Read more »

Description:Â The ongoing revolutions across the Middle East would seem to be good news for markets. But so far they’ve scared most foreign investors away. Source: Fortune.com Date: 12/13/2011 Link:Â http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/12/13/investing-middle-east-north-africa/?iid=SF_F_Lead Questions for discussion: Summarize the opinions expressed in this report? What would your advice be to investors at this time?

Description:Â Most investors own some mix of stocks, mutual funds and exchange traded funds. In building an equity asset allocation for their portfolio, without knowing it, or simply accepting it, they are taking about 100% of the risk of the equity markets. There is however a safer option for building the equity portion of your… Read more »

Description: Video games will be the fastest-growing and most exciting form of mass media over the coming decade, says Tim Cross Source: TheEconomist.com Date: 12/10/2011 Link: http://www.economist.com/node/21541164 Questions for discussion: Summarize the highlights in this report. What does this report suggest about investing strategies related to the growth of the industry?